New work by Pam Kuntz explores how children are cared for

Kuntz and Company, a non-profit dance/theatre company directed by Western Washington University senior dance instructor Pam Kuntz, presents Hide and Seek, a dance/theatre work that explores how children are cared for in our community through the eyes of the child, family and system.

In partnership with staff from the Bellingham School District, Brigid Collins Family Support Center, the Parent Child Institute of Whatcom County, The Whatcom Family and Community Network, as well as several individuals, the evening includes nine stories that share a wide range of perspectives and situations where the care of children is examined through dance and film.

These true stories, from our neighbors, help us understand the complexities of caring for our young. As is typical in Kuntz’s work, the piece combines the talents of professional performers with the community members whose stories are being told. Hide and Seek features Bellingham artists and Kuntz and Company collaborators Ian Bivins, Cara Congelli, Jaynie Hancock, Angela Kiser, Pam Kuntz, Ella Mahler and Richard Scholtz. Hide and Seek contains mature subject matter and is not recommended for children.

Six performances of Hide and Seek will be held at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Bellingham over the period of two weeks. Opening night is Oct. 17, and shows also will take place on Oct. 18, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 19 and 26 at 5 p.m. After the performance on Oct. 19, the Whatcom Family and Community Network and Parents Matter will host a World Café conversation about our community's vision for caring for children.

Tickets are $15 and available at Village Books in Fairhaven, online at kuntzandco.org and at the door. Pay-what-you-can admission is available at the door the evening of the performance. For more information, go to http://www.kuntzandco.org/ or call 360-510-4711.

Hide and Seek is supported in part by Brigid Collins Family Support Center, The Leopold Ballroom, Inspire Studio, the Whatcom Family and Community Network, the Bellingham School District, and grants from the Whatcom Community Foundation, the Community Food Co-op, and the Washington State Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.